CBS Wins Monday Overnights; Solid 24 on Fox

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THE PROGRAMMING INSIDER
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
 
Prime-Time Metered Market Monday Ratings:
CBS Wins; Fox’s 24 In Healthy Shape
 
Ratings Box:
What’s Hot/What’s Not
 
On the Air Tonight:
Prime-Time Programming Options
 
TV Tidbits:
Notes of Interest
 
TV Trivia Time:
That’s a Good Cookie!
_______________________________________________________________________
 
Prime-Time Metered Market Monday Ratings:
CBS Wins; Fox’s 24 In Healthy Shape
 
Monday 1/12/09
 
              HH
          Rtg/Shr
CBS   8.4/13
Fox    7.2/11
ABC 5.5/ 8
NBC 3.9/ 6
CW    2.1/ 3
 
———-
 

-Percent Change From the Year-Ago Evening (Monday, January 14, 2008):

Fox: +26, CW: +24, CBS: +17, ABC: + 4, NBC: -46
 
———-
 

Note: The fast national results for Monday will be posted at PIFeedback.com by 12 p.m. ET. Go to the website, click on Ratings Box (the first category), then Last Night’s Results, and Monday, January 12, 2009.   

 
———-
 
-Yesterday’s Winners:

The Big Bang Theory (CBS), How I Met Your Mother (CBS), 24 (Fox), Two and a Half Men (CBS), CSI: Miami (CBS)

 
-Yesterday’s Losers (excluding repeats):

Superstars of Dance (NBC), Worst Week (CBS), Momma’s Boys (NBC)

 
———-
 
-Ratings Breakdown:

CBS opened the week on a winning note in the overnights, with a 1.2 rating point advantage over second-place Fox. But keep an eye on Fox, which is expected to win the evening among adults 18-49 as a result of another two-hour installment of the new season of 24. Third overall in the metered markets was ABC, followed by NBC and the CW.

 

Fox’s expanded edition of 24 averaged a healthy 7.2 rating/11 share in the metered markets from 8-10 p.m. Comparably, that beat the year-ago combination of Prison Break and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles by a hefty average 26 percent. And it was a noticeable improvement over recent occupants Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Prison Break. Here is the half-hour breakdown:

 
24 (Fox)
8:00 p.m.: 7.1/11 (#1)
8:30 p.m.: 7.2/11 (#1)
9:00 p.m.: 7.2/11 (#2)
9:30 p.m.: 7.5/11 (#1)
 

Next week, House moves into the Monday 8 p.m. hour followed by 24 at 9 p.m.

 

CBS sitcoms The Big Bang Theory (#2: 6.8/10) and How I Met Your Mother (#2: 6.7/10) continue to score, with both expected to generate ample interest among adults 18-49 (and other young adult demos). That led into Two and a Half Men (#1: 10.2/15 at 9 p.m.), followed by the soon-to-depart Worst Week (#2t: 6.4/ 9) and CSI: Miami (#1: 10.3/17) from 9:30-11 p.m. Don’t forget that former 9:30 p.m. occupant Rules of Engagement will be returning in March.

 

In the battle of the 8-10 p.m. reality blocks, ABC’s The Bachelor (5.8/ 9) beat NBC’s Superstars of Dance (4.4/ 7), which looks like a half-baked version of the Olympics, by a hefty 32 percent. Take a look at the half-hour breakdowns:

 
The Bachelor (ABC)
8:00 p.m.: 5.5/ 8 (#3)
8:30 p.m.: 5.5/ 8 (#3)
9:00 p.m.: 5.9/ 9 (#3)
9:30 p.m.: 6.4/10 (#2t)
 
Superstars of Dance (NBC)
8:00 p.m.: 4.5/ 7 (#4)
8:30 p.m.: 4.4/ 7 (#4)
9:00 p.m.: 4.2/ 6 (#4)
9:30 p.m.: 4.5/ 7 (#4)
 

Compared to its week-ago time period debut (6.0/ 9 on Jan. 5), Superstars of Dance dipped by a significant 27 percent.

 

At 10 p.m., week two of ABC’s True Beauty (#2: 4.8/ 7) beat NBC’s competing Momma’s Boys (#3: series low 2.9/ 5) by a hefty 66 percent. But compared to its debut one week earlier (5.4/ 8 on Jan. 5), that was a decline of 11 percent. And retention out of the last half-hour of lead-in The Bachelor was just 75 percent.   Momma’s Boys, meanwhile, is just filling up wasted airtime at this point.

 

Last was CW duo Gossip Girl (2.1/ 3) and the compatible One Tree Hill (2.2/ 3), which always generates interest among young females. 

 
Source: Nielsen Media Research data
____________________________________________________________________________
 
Ratings Box:
What’s Hot/What’s Not
 
-Record Friday Night Smackdown!:

Friday Night Smackdown! rose to a record performance on MyNetworkTV, with 3.9 million viewers and 868,000 adults 18-49 for the Jan. 9 telecast. Comparably, Smackdown! tied for first in the 8-10 p.m. block with CBS and Fox among men 18-49, with a 1.6 rating in the demo.

 
-Syndicated Game – Season to-Date Results:

Based on data through Dec. 28, 2008, what follows are the national rating results for syndicated game shows in households, women 25-54 and adults 25-54 (with percent change versus the comparable year-ago period in parentheses):

 
Households:

Wheel of Fortune (CBS Television Distribution): 7.1 rating (- 7), Jeopardy (CBS): 5.8 (- 8), Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (Disney-ABC): 2.8 (-15), Deal or No Deal (NBC Universal): 2.2, Family Feud (Debmar-Mercury): 1.9 (-21), Trivial Pursuit (Debmar-Mercury): 0.7

 
Women 25-54:

Wheel of Fortune (CBS): 2.7 (- 4), Jeopardy (CBS): 2.2 (no change), Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (Disney-ABC): 1.3 (-13), Deal or No Deal (NBC Universal): 1.2, Family Feud (Debmar-Mercury): 0.8 (-27), Trivial Pursuit (Debmar-Mercury): 0.3

 
Households:

Wheel of Fortune (CBS): 2.3 (no change), Jeopardy (CBS): 2.0 (+ 5), Deal or No Deal (NBC Universal): 1.0, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (Disney-ABC): 0.9 (-18), Family Feud (Debmar-Mercury): 0.7 (-22), Trivial Pursuit (Debmar-Mercury): 0.3

 
Source: Nielsen Media Research data
________________________________________________________________________________
 
On the Air Tonight:
Prime-Time Programming Options
 
Tuesday 1/13/09
 
ABC:

 8:00 p.m. Homeland Security USA

 9:00 p.m. Scrubs
 9:30 p.m. Scrubs
10:00 p.m. Primetime: What Would You Do?
 
CBS:
 8:00 p.m. NCIS

 9:00 p.m. The Mentalist

10:00 p.m. Without a Trace
 
NBC:

 8:00 p.m. The Biggest Loser: Couples (two hours)

10:00 p.m. Law & Order: SVU
 
Fox:

 8:00 p.m. American Idol (season premiere, two hours)

 
 CW:
 8:00 p.m. 90210

 9:00 p.m. Privileged

 
MNTV

 8:00 p.m. Street Patrol (R)

 8:30 p.m. Street Patrol (R)

 9:00 p.m. Vice Squad (R)

 9:30 p.m. Vice Squad

 
ION

 8:00 p.m. Boston Legal (R)

 9:00 p.m. Boston Legal (R)

10:00 p.m. Boston Legal (R)
 
________________________________________________________________________
 
TV Tidbits:
Notes of Interest
 
-Wendy Williams Confirmed for Fall 2008:

Distributor Debmar-Mercury has announced upcoming syndicated daytime talker, The Wendy Williams Show, as a firm “go” for the 2009-10 season. Clearances to-date have reached the 70 percent U.S. mark, with commitments in 45 of the top 50 markets, including affiliates in station groups Fox, CBS, NBC, Local TV, Cox, Lin, Meredith, Raycom and Tribune. Originally test run for six weeks in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and Detroit, The Wendy Williams Show was shopped nationally after the noticeable demographic growth. 

 

-ABC Considers the Return of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire:

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, the game show that once saved ABC and eventually almost destroyed the network may be returning this summer. The network is considering bringing Who Wants to Be a Millionaire back with original host Regis Philbin for a multiple night event after the traditional season ends.

 
-T.D. Jakes Talker on Hold:

The proposed new daytime talk show from CBS Television Distribution hosted by Bishop T.D. Jakes has been put on hold until fall 2010. Although Jakes had been sold to the Tribune stations, the current economic climate and Tribune recently filing for bankruptcy put the project on shaky ground.

 
-More Destination Truth on Sci Fi Channel

Sci Fi Channel has renewed investigative reality series Destination Truth for a third season, with an order for nine additional episodes for fall 2009.

 
-The Documentary Channel Celebrates Black History Month:

The Documentary Channel (DOC) will celebrate Black History Month every Wednesday in February by showcasing rarely seen documentaries related to African American history.  Academy Award nominated A Time for Burning will kick-off the series on Feb. 4, followed by No Short Climb: Race Workers & America’s Defense Technology (Feb. 11), Have You Seen Drum Recently (Feb. 18) and New York Noir: The History of Black New York (Feb. 25). In addition to its regular network telecasts, DOC will make the films available through live streaming on the network’s YouTube Channel (www.youtube.com/documentarychannel)

      

 -Upcoming in First-Run Syndication:

What follows is the third draft of the new first-run series (strips and weeklies) slated to debut in syndication in 2009. If anything is missing, please contact Marc Berman at either 646/654-5423 or at mberman@Mediaweek.com to be included in Mediaweek’s annual NATPE listings. 

 
STRIPS
 
Talk
Marie (Program Partners)
Dr. Mehmet Oz (Sony Pictures Television)
T.D. Jakes (CBS Television Distribution)
Wendy Williams (Debmar Mercury)
 
Court

Judge Jeanine Pirro (Warner Bros.) – being pitched in first-run after one season on the CW in daytime

Street Court (Litton Entertainment)
 
Game
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (Twentieth Television)
 
 
WEEKLIES
 
The Brian McKnight Show (Litton Entertainment)
DragonflyTV (Telco Productions)

Johnnie High’s Country Music Review (Entertainment Concepts Int’l)

1000cc Raw Thrill (Entertainment Concepts Int’l)
Swap TV (Telco Productions)
What’s in a Kid’s World (Entertainment Concepts Int’l)
 
________________________________________________________________________
 
TV Trivia Time:
That’s a Good Cookie!
 

Which one of the following TV characters was known for her delicious oatmeal raisin cookies?

 
a) Phoebe Buffay
b) June Cleaver
c) Lorelai Gilmore
d) Sue Ann Nivens
e) Tony Micelli
 
The answer to yesterday’s question.
 
What was the name of the doorman on sitcom Rhoda?
 
a) Burt
b) Carlton
c) Dexter
d) Harvey
e) Wally
 
Is: b) Carlton. All together now…
 

“My name is Rhoda Morgenstern. I was born in the Bronx, New York, in December, 1941. I’ve always felt responsible for World War II. The first thing I remember liking that liked me back was food. I had a bad puberty: it lasted 17 years. I’m a high school graduate; I went to art school. My entrance exam was on a book of matches. I decided to move out of the house when I was 24. My mother still refers to this as the time I ran away from home. Eventually I ran to Minneapolis where it’s cold, and I figured I’d keep better. Now I’m back in Manhattan. New York, this is your last chance!”

 
-Current kudos goes to:

David Ballarotto, Gerry Bixenspan, Lillian Buchman, Larry Collins, Maureen Goldman, Geoffrey Gordon, Bob Ingersoll, Ken Jobe, Deb Kainer, Kathryn Kieser, Mary Kinoshita, Synda Kollman, Alan Perris, Gordon Purcell, Bob Rall, Colleen Roth, David Ruckman, Greg Salerno